Thursday, December 21, 2017

The End of the ACA Mandate and the Beginning of Healthcare Consumerism

The
passage of the Republican tax reform bill with the removal of the mandate is a
win for the American patient and doctor.

Since
the passage of the Affordable Care Act, there has been a steady unraveling of
the American healthcare system and a loss of access to healthcare for those who
live in rural areas and those who are underserved in cities. The middle and working class have been priced
out by high insurance premiums and the exponential rise in out-of-pocket costs. There has been a devastating loss of
independent physicians (now accounting for only 30% of practicing physicians);
and there has been a steady rise in the consolidation of corporate hospital
systems and medical insurance companies. Each change has caused a decrease in
choice with a resultant rise in cost leading to the all too familiar ‘too big
to fail’ phenomenon.

The
removal of the mandate allows those who cannot afford to purchase a product or
those who have purchased a product that they don’t need or want to be free to
find healthcare coverage that will work for them. The best part about the law
is a change in a direction that respects the individual. If you like the ACA
you can keep it, but if you don’t like it you will no longer be penalized. This
one change will allow consumer driven healthcare to thrive and encourage the
market to create products that will benefit the patient. [more...]